“Him?”
Zheng Fang sized up the man with bound hands. “What’s his background?”
“The head of Jiuligou,” Iron Hammer replied.
“Jiuligou bandits?”
Zheng Fang frowned. “Why are they involved again?”
Life was tough for the common folk. Sometimes, a few vagrants or deserters would band together, find a hill, raise a tattered flag, and form a new bandit gang.
Some villagers, unable to survive, would gather in the mountains during idle farming seasons, cover their faces, and rob passersby.
In Jinchuan County, there were seven or eight named bandit groups, with even more unnamed ones.
The Jiuligou bandits were a mid-sized group, based in a ravine nine li northwest of Jinchuan County, hence their name.
With over a hundred members, they lacked the status to collect annual tribute but lived off plundering merchant caravans near the official road.
Jiuligou was dozens of li from Wild Dog Slope, a half-day journey. Zheng Fang couldn’t fathom why they would link up with the Wild Dog Slope bandits.
“This guy saw we wiped out Iron Can Mountain and wanted to seize territory and collect tribute. Since Jiuligou was too far, they teamed up with Wild Dog Slope,” Iron Hammer explained.
“No wonder Wild Dog Slope suddenly had so many men, hiding them in a cellar. We fell for it.”
Zheng Fang was furious.
He had checked the straw shed earlier and found a large cellar beneath it, bigger than the shed itself.
No wonder the Wild Dog Slope bandits gambled all day in the shed, guarding against spies.
Even with Monkey’s stealth, he couldn’t search the shed under dozens of watchful eyes.
“The bandits had been watching us, knowing most of our brothers were away. This guy waited until the women’s militia left, then led fifty or sixty men to raid Xihewan!” Iron Hammer said, kicking the Jiuligou leader hard.
“What?”
Zheng Fang was alarmed. “Is the village safe?”
Xihewan was their stronghold, where Jin Feng stored his wealth and spoils from Iron Can Mountain.
If Xihewan fell, what use was capturing Wild Dog Slope?
“Their leader’s been caught. What could go wrong?” Iron Hammer said. “The master predicted this and made arrangements. The bandits entered the village and got slaughtered, with the rest surrendering.”
“Thank heavens!” Zheng Fang patted his chest, puzzled. “But the women’s militia came here, leaving few men in the village. How did you take down so many bandits? Did you use the trebuchet?”
“We didn’t know where they’d enter. How could we use the trebuchet?” Iron Hammer replied.
Trebuchets were immobile, set up on fixed paths. Xihewan’s flat terrain had multiple entry routes, and even Jin Feng couldn’t predict where the bandits would strike, making trebuchet ambushes impossible.
“No trebuchet? Then how did you defeat so many bandits?” Zheng Fang asked, confused.
“After work, the master had the village head warn the brick kiln and worksite men about a possible bandit attack on Xihewan. Everyone got riled up, demanding to stay with the guard team to protect the village,” Iron Hammer said. “With over a hundred men from Xihewan and Guanjiawan, familiar with the terrain, they hid in houses along the entry paths. When the bandits entered, they fired arrows, stunning them.”
“Thank goodness the master foresaw this,” Zheng Fang said, giving a heartfelt thumbs-up.
Jin Feng smiled, pleased.
Capturing the Jiuligou leader wasn’t his greatest joy. When word spread of the bandit attack on Xihewan, not only the guard team but also the kiln and worksite men took up arms to defend the village.
Even the textile factory women demanded Jin Feng equip them with crossbows.
This showed Jin Feng’s efforts had borne fruit. The villagers no longer cowered before bandits but were determined to fight for their interests.
As a great man once said, the power of the masses is invincible.
This victory would teach the villagers that bandits weren’t to be feared.
Before, bandits could bully villages with few men, as women’s combat strength was weaker. But crossbows bridged that gap.
Even a trained child could kill a robust bandit with a crossbow.
In the future, villagers wouldn’t need veteran or female soldiers to deal with bandits. They would handle it themselves.
This outcome thrilled Jin Feng more than conquering Iron Can Mountain.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. This brute’s quite cunning,” Zheng Fang said, circling the Jiuligou leader. “This plan was layered, not something an average person could devise.”
“The cunning one isn’t him, but their second-in-command, who made the plans,” Iron Hammer said. “By the way, Old Zheng, did we catch their second-in-command? I heard he studied, served in the army, and is sly. We can’t let him escape.”
“Monkey, go ask the captives which one is the Jiuligou second-in-command,” Zheng Fang said, his expression turning serious.
He had pieced together the bandits’ plan.
They allied with Wild Dog Slope, prepared, then had Wild Dog Slope bandits raid Zhoujia Village to draw Xihewan’s attention.
When Jin Feng sent men to suppress Wild Dog Slope, leaving Xihewan vulnerable, they attacked.
The second-in-command behind this plan couldn’t be allowed to escape.
Soon, Monkey dragged over a corpse, tossing it at Zheng Fang’s feet.
An arrow was lodged in its neck.
“Here’s the second-in-command,” Monkey said.
“It’s him!” Zheng Fang’s eyes narrowed.
“You know him?” Iron Hammer asked.
“When A-Mei subdued the Wild Dog Slope leader, controlling the situation, this guy suddenly rushed out, killed their leader with a poison needle, and chaos erupted,” Zheng Fang said. “I sensed something off and took him out immediately.”
“Good riddance!” Iron Hammer spat on the corpse.
“I thought some county official was eyeing Iron Can Mountain’s territory, but it was just bandits,” Zheng Fang said.
“Without a powerful backer, who’d dare collect tribute and risk the militia’s wrath?” Iron Hammer glanced at the Jiuligou leader. “We haven’t had time to ask. Who’s your backer?”
